Delivery mechanism for vending machines



3 Sheets-Sheet l I T X B. L. FRY

DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR VENDING MACHINES Filed Aug. 15, 1930 Aug. 29, 1933.

Aug. 2;?? 1933. B FRY DELIVERY mscmmsm FOR VENDING MACHINES Filed Aug. 15, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 29, 1933. B, FRY 1,924,780

DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR VENDING MACHINES" Filed Aug. 15, 1930 3 Shets-Sheet s Patented Aug. 29, 1933 Um'rso stares DELEVERY DIECHAYESM FUR VENDING DIACI INES 4 Claims.

This invention relates to coin-controlled machines and has special reference to vending machines in which packaged goods are arranged in vertical columns or tiers, each column or tier being provided with a slidably mounted front closure common to all the compartments in the tier and operated by a step by step movement to successively expose the compartments to permit withdrawal of the packages. The present invention seeks to provide an improved and simplified mechanism whereby the insertion of a coin will permit a sale to be consummated and a sale cannot be consummated until c n has deposited. A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the tier or column of compartments may be quickly closed after the goods in all of the compartments have been sold, and a further object of the invention is to provide a very simple mechanism for controlling the .20 step by step movement of the closure and to insure a complete movement of the same at each operation. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be hereinafter fully set forth and particularly defined.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, of a portion of a vending machine embodying the invention,

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 22 of Fig. l, the line 1-1 in Fig. 2 indicating the plane of the section shown in Fig. 1,

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are horizontal sections taken in the same plane as Fig. 2 but showing different positions of the parts,

is 6 is a transverse section on the line 6-6 .3. of Fig. 1,

Fig. 7 is a detail transverse section on the line 77 of Fig. l, and

Figs. 8, 9 and are detailed diagrammatic elevations showing different positions of the closure controlling devices at successive steps in the operation. The machine embodying the invention is preferably enclosed within a cabinet, a portion of which is indicated at 1, and comprises one or: more columns for containing the goods to be dis- The side walls are lateral flanges, indicated at 5 and 6, and a'closure or door '7 is disposed at the front of the column and of such length that it will extend across the front ends of all the compartments in the column so as to close the same. The door or closure is formed at-one side with a re-entrant flange 8 adapted to fit around and slidabiy engage the flange 5 and at its opposite side a filler strip 9 is secured to its rear side and a right angular bar 10 secured to said strip, the bar 10 and the side edge of the door being disposed at opposite sides of the flange 6 and the filler 9 being of the same thickness as flange, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the door will be held in place and will be guided in a rectilinear path. Upon the outer side of the angle bar 10 are projections 11 in the form of studs or pins which are spaced apart vertically distances corresponding to the heights of the several compartments in the colmn, these projections or studs cooperate with other elements to permit a step by step descent of the door so that the several compartments will be successively rendered accessible to pern 't withdrawal of their contents. To permit the door to be returned to its initial position closing all of the compartments after the several compartments have been restocked, a bracket or lip 12 is secured upon the front side of the door adjacent th upper end thereof, as shown in Fig. 1, so that it may be easily raised by engagement of the operators finger.

The column of compartments is braced by a frame bar 13 extending between the side of the column and the side of the enclosing cabinet or frame or the side of an adjacent column and upon this brace bar is secured a guide bracket 1 which has an upstanding portion 15 at the side of the column, said upstanding portion having a vertical slot therein to receive a slide 16 which fits closely but slidably through said slot or opening. The slide 16 is disposed parallel with the side of the column and extends forwardly beyond the column, its front end portion being supported and guided by a transverse channel bar 17 which is suitably secured within the cabinet and is spaced forwardly from the column of compartments. The slide 16 is provided on its face presented to the adjacent column with a ledge 18 having a smooth upper edge and formed with an upstanding lug 19 at its front end, the rear end of the ledge being tapered or beveled, as shown at 20. At a point rearward from the rear end of the ledge 18, a pawl 21 is pivotally mounted upon the side of the slide and the front end of this pawl is so formed as to define a hook 22 adapted to rest upon the ledge 18, as shown clearly in Figs. 8, 9 and 10. The pawl 21 is provided with a lateral pin or lug 23 which is arranged to play in a slot 24 in the upper edge portion of the slide and to one end of the lug is attached one end of a retractile spring 25, the opposite end of which is secured to the slide so thatthe free end of the pawl will be normally held to and against the ledge. Upon referring to Figs. 8, 9 and 10 more particularly, it will be understood that normally one of the projections or studs 11 rests on the upper edge of the ledge 18, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 8. When the slide 16 is moved forwardly, the relative movement will cause the front end of the pawl 21 to ride over the stud and the hook 22 will then engage in front of the stud so that the slide cannot be moved backwardly but must be moved forwardly to the full extent of its movement in order to complete the operation and effect a sale and delivery of goods. The forward movement of the slide will eventually carry the rear end of the ledge 18 beyond the stud 11 resting on the ledge and the stud will, consequently, be free to drop, whereupon the door or closure 7 will'at once descend by the force of gravity and partly uncover the uppermost covered compartment. The downward movement of the door or closure '7 will be arrested by a second stud impinging upon the upper side of the pawl 21, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 10, the downward movement being consequently arrested before the compartment has been fully opened. In order to permit the additional movement necessary to fully open the compartment, the slide must be given a return movement which will carry the pawl 21 from under the stud resting thereon which will then drop onto the ledge 18 in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 8. The compartment will then be fully uncovered and the package therein maybe withdrawn, the stop lug 19 on the ledge limiting the rearward movement of the slide so that it cannot be retracted to such an extent as to render the device inoperative.

The channeled frame bar 1'7 is disposed below a coin chute 26 which has its upper end extending through a shelf or cover 27 forming a part of the cabinet, and on the front side of said frame bar 1'? a plate 28 is secured and held in spaced relation to the frame bar by a filler 29 inserted between the .plate and frame bar, as clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5. The space between the'frame bar and said plate constitutes an extension of the coin chute and upon the inner side of the slide is secured a bracket 30 which normally extends into said space-and constitutes a stop and rest for a coin which -may be deposited in the coin chute, such a coin being indicated at 31 in Figs. 2 and 3, the bar 17 and the plate 28 having openings, indicated at 32, to permit the passage of the bracket or rest 30 during the reciprocations of the slide 16.

thereby minimizing the possibility of a stud 11 being broken by impact against 'the stop lug 19. The trip also presents an arm 36 which projects forwardly and laterally to occupy normally a po Normally the bracket 35.

sition in front of the frame bar and the plate 28, this arm or portion 36 being adapted to receive pressure from the fingers of the operator to permit a protracted rearward movement of the slide when the column of compartments is to be restocked and the closure or door 7 is to be returned to its uppermost position. The trip also presents a shoulder 37 which normally extends through a slot 38 in the slide and is adapted to impinge against a stop bracket 39 secured on the front of the frame bar 1'? and projecting forwardly therefrom, the stop brackets and 39 being at opposite sides of the slide, as shown and as will be understood. In the normal position of the several parts, the trip will prevent an operative forward movement of the slide by being caused to impinge against the stop bracket 39 and the trip is yieldably held in its normal position by a retractiie spring 40 attached to the trip and to the slide at the rear of the trip, the movement of the trip underthe influence of the-spring being limited by the side of the bracket 39, as will be'understood upon reference to Fig. 2.

A-rock shaft 41 is mounted upon the channeled bar 17 and extends through thecover or top por tion 2'? of the cabinet, being provided with a crank or other-handle abovethe element 2'7 whereby the shaft may be rocked. Secured to the shaft withinthe binet is an angle lever-having a short arm 43 W1 extends rearwardly toward the adja ent door or closure '1 and is connected by a acti lng 44 with the bar 1'7, as shown. The 2.1 r also a working arm 45 extending yard the slide id and having its free d in a notch or opening 46 in the Q e portion the slide so-that'if the shaft il be rocsxl movement will be imparted to the slide 2111' the"! ver arm 45.

It i thought operation will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection it h the accompanying drawings. are in the position shown in 2 nd if no coin be inserted in-the coin chute any rocking of the shaft 41 to impart forward movement to the slide 16 will bechecked by the engagement of the trip 33 with the stop lug-at the front end of the bracket 39. When the proper coin has been deposited, however, the coin will come to-restbehindthe plate 28 with its edge on the rest or bracket 30, whereupon, if the shaft-4d be rocked in the proper direction, the slide 16 will be moved forwardly-and the trip 33 will, of course, be carried along with the slide so that the forward inclined edge of the arm 34 will ride against the coin and the trip will be thereby rocked about its pivot so that the shoulder 37 will clear the bracket 39 and a complete forward movementof the slide maybe effected. As the slide moves forward, the rest 30 will becarri-ed from below the coin which will thereupon drop into the-coin box placed within the cabinet to receive it and the spring 40 will then return the trip to such position that upon return movement of the slide the arm 34 will again engage the stop bracket 35. When thetrip is rocked under the influence of the spring 40, the shoulder 3'7 will beagain disposed in the path of the bracket 39, see Fig. 4, and the return movement of the slide will cause the'trip to ride over the bracket and thereby turn'the arm 3'4 toclear the edge of the frame bar 17 to assume its normal position in engagement with the stop The forward movement of the slide will be arrested by the lever arm 45 engaging against the rear side ofthe frame'bar 17, as shown clearly in Fig. 4, and the customer will be obliged to rock the shaft 41 until the arm 45 does impinge against the frame bar for the reasons previously stated that such movement will be necessary to permit a stud 11 to clear the ledge 18 upon which it normally rests. Upon release of the handle, the spring 44 returns the slide to its initial position whereby the opening movement of the door is completed. Eventually the entire stock of merchandise disposed within any one column will be sold and a new supply of goods must be placed therein. The refilling of the several compartments may be accomplished by merely inserting the packages through the fronts of the compartments but upward movement of the door or closure '7 cannot be effected unless the slide be shifted to such position that the studs or projections 11 on the side of the door will clear the ledge 18 and the pawl 21. To permit the greater rearward movement of the slide, the operator unlocks the cabinet so as to obtain access to the interior thereof, and then exerts pressure through his finger upon the arm 36 of the trip 33 to rock the trip so that the arm 3 1 will clear the stop bracket 35, whereupon the spring 44 will contract to its fullest extent and impart reverse movement to the angle lever 43, 45 so that the slide 16 will move rearwardly to such a point that the pawl 21 and ledge 18 will be carried rearwardly beyond the range of the studs 11, as shown in Fig. 5 whereupon the flange or finger-hold 12 may be grasped and the door '7 raised to its initial position to close all the compartments. The increased rearward movement of the slide and the parts mounted thereon will be limited by the rear end of the pawl 21 impinging against the stop guide 15, as will be understood upon reference to Fig. 5, and will also be understood that, after the door is raised, the slide is drawn forward by the operator to properly position the ledge 18 under the lowermost stud 11 and set all the parts in the initial position. The slot 38 in the slide 16 is long enough to provide clearance for the trip 33 so that when pressure is exerted upon the arm 36 by the fingers of the operator the desired mov ment of the trip will be easy and certain. The present invention provides a mechanism which is very simple and compact and is, therefore, not apt to get out of order, while in operation it acts with certainty and easily so that the delivery of the merchandise is not attended with any interruptions, but improper manipulation of the apparatus to effect a sale without depositing a coin or to obtain more than one package for a single payment will be frustrated.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. In a coin-controlled vending machine, the combination of a slide movable in a rectilinear path, means whereby reciprocation of the slide will effect a delivery of goods, a rest on one side of the slide adapted to temporarily support a deposited coin, a trip pivotally mounted for rocking movement on said rest to present one edge transversely to the edge of a deposited coin, a stop cooperating with said trip to prevent forward movement of the slide, a spring operatively connected with the trip, and means for imparting a reciprocatory movement to the slide movement of the trip across the edge of the coin causing the trip to be rocked transversely of the slide to clear the stop and permit forward movement of the slide.

2. In a coin-controlled vending machine, a frame bar, a'slide supported and guided by said frame bar, a coin rest on the slide, means on the frame bar for directing a coin to the rest, a trip pivoted on the coin rest to engage and be rocked by a coin held by the rest, a stop at one side of the slide in the path of the trip whereby normally operative movement of the slide will be prevented and movement of the slide and trip past a deposited coin will work the trip to clear the stop, means at the opposite side of the slide to limit return movement of the slide, and means for reciprocating the slide. 1

3. In a coin-controlled vending machine, the combination of a frame bar, means on said bar for guiding a deposited coin, a slide supported by and movable through said frame bar, a coin rest on said slide, the slide being provided with a longitudinal slot adjacent the rest, a trip pivoted on the rest and having a portion extending rearwardly and arranged to ride across the edge of a deposited coin whereby to be rocked, and stops on the frame bar at opposite sides of the slide,

the trip being arranged to normally project through the slot in the slide and engage one of said stops to resist forward movement of the slide and to engage the other of said stops to resist rearward movement of the slide, the forward movement of the slide causing the trip to' ride across the edge of the coin and rock to clear the forward stop, the trip having a front arm adapted to be rocked to effect clearance of the rear stop for a protracted rearward movement of th slide.

4. In a coin-controlled vending machine, the combination of a frame bar, means on said frame bar to guide a deposited coin, a slide supported by and movable through the frame bar, a coin rest on the slide, a trip mounted on the coin rest, stops on the frame bar at opposite sides of the slide normally engaged by the trip to prevent operative movement of the slide, forward movement of the slide causing the trip to ride across the edge of a deposited coin and rock to clear the forward stop, a rock shaft mounted on the frame bar, and an angle lever secured to said shaft and having one arm engaged with the slide and its opposite arm connected by a retractile spring with the frame bar.

BENJAMIN L. FRY. 

